On Saturdays, from Dec 1, 2018-March 30, 2019, your day yoga is included in your day fees. Be sure to let the office know that you are here for yoga when you arrive. The Yoga schedule for Saturdays is: 10 … Continue reading →

On Saturdays, from Dec 1, 2018-March 30, 2019, your day yoga is included in your day fees. Be sure to let the office know that you are here for yoga when you arrive. The Yoga schedule for Saturdays is: 10am … Continue reading →

2018 VolleyBall Dates

Meet at the volleyball court. The 10am tourny will be a 4’s tourny for advanced players. Teams okay. The second tourny at 2pm will be a 6’s tourny for beginning-intermediate to advanced players with competitively balanced teams. We welcome new players, but for safety reasons, we ask that beginners be familiar with the basic rules and skills required for team play.

Lupin Volleyball, as illustrated on the cover of The Naturist Society’s magazine, Nude & Natural 18.1.

Introduction

Welcome to the best buff volleyball in the Bay Area. (Or play “clothing-optional” if you prefer keeping your tan lines.) Lupin Lodge holds seven weekend volleyball tournaments in prime season each year for experienced players to get together for competitive fun in the sun. Non-member players and teams are especially invited to participate and are offered discounted admission and camping rates.

Schedule and Times

With few exceptions Lupin tournaments are usually held on the third weekend of each month beginning in April and ending in October, but check for tournament schedule below for exact dates. Starting times are 11am. (The court is available for doubles, team practice or open warm-up play until then.) See current year tournament schedule below for specific dates.

Court and Shoes

The outdoor court has a special padded surface, and players are required to wear the type of athletic shoes with scuff-proof soles appropriate for an indoor gym floor. Black-soled running shoes are not acceptable; neither is the court surface suitable for bare feet. Please wear light-soled, court shoes only.

Skill Levels

Most of the players will have had some competitive power volleyball team, league or tournament experience with qualified referees and should understand court positioning in team play. Experienced beach players are equally welcome. All tournament entrants must demonstrate basic ball-handling capability to USVBA standards. Beyond that minimum requirement, skills levels may vary, as do the ages of participants.

Coaching

Those lacking sufficient volleyball experience for tournament qualification are encouraged to visit Lupin on non-tournament weekends when even rank beginners can get friendly coaching and playing time with the Lupin regulars. That’s how many of them learned the game, and most are always looking to interest and develop any beginning player with basic eye-hand coordination and a willingness to practice correct techniques. Novices can learn a lot from just watching a tournament.

Teams and Players

Complete, six-person teams may enter as a team, or lacking enough players, be assigned additional members. Most tournament players usually arrive as individuals, often with a friend who also plays. A general goal of the Tournament Director, who makes team assignments of individual players (while seeking to balance power and setting skills as well as overall athleticism), is to provide competitive matches among all the teams. Often the prize is up for grabs until the last match of the day. Tournament newcomers should arrive at least 30 minutes early to demonstrate basic ball handling skills and receive a team assignment.

Rules and Referees

Referees familiar with USVBA rules are provided for each match by another participating team in the round robin pool. Complete courtesy is expected at all times. Few players lose sight of the main purpose: just having fun playing their favorite team sport the way it’s intended. Obviously it’s more fun to win than lose, but Lupin is a pretty laid-back place, and over-stressful, unsportsmanlike, win-at-all-costs aggression isn’t very cool.

Reverse Coed

Skilled women players may particularly enjoy the challenge of the gender power-equalizing Reverse Coed tournaments on the schedule. In Reverse Coed play, the net is set at women’s height and male players are prohibited from blocking or spiking within the front line attack area to neutralize their natural height advantage. Ideally, each team needs at least three female power hitters (with four preferred). The lucky males who are invited to play use the occasion to practice their setting, digging and back-court spiking skills, while the women fire away from above the net. Long, exciting rallies are common.

Special Rates

The tournaments are free for Lupin members. Non-member players and accompanying fans in the same vehicle are entitled to a discount off the Lupin admissions and camping rates they would normally pay and are not charged further for tournament participation.

Tradition

Volleyball was the first sport introduced at Lupin when the club was founded in 1936, and it remains the favorite. The game was played only recreationally until the early 1950’s, when a former volleyball coach at the Olympic Club in San Francisco began teaching power volleyball strategy and correct ball handling techniques to his fellow Lupin members. They in turn later coached other beginners at Lupin to become competent players, which became a club tradition spanning generations. Many Lupin-taught players have subsequently competed in various volleyball leagues around the Bay Area. The current annual Lupin Tournament series, open to non-member players and teams, began in 1979.